New HIV Cases Spotlight Adult Film Industry's Testing System

Michael Weinstein of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (left) at a press conference in February to introduce AB 332, a statewide bill to require condom use by adult film performers.

Bret Hartman
/ AP

Listen

Listening...

/

Originally published on September 10, 2013 5:49 pm

Adult film production in California is now suspended after a number of performers tested positive for HIV. Four cases have been reported in the past few months, including one on Monday.

If ever there was an "I told you so moment" for the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, it's now. The organization has been campaigning for condoms to be mandatory during porn shoots. Last year, it sponsored a measure in Los Angeles County to that effect, which voters approved.

"People thought it was a weird, quirky thing, and now I think they see it as a real health issue," says AHF President Michael Weinstein, who's frustrated and says that L.A. County is not enforcing the law.

Weinstein would not reveal any details about the identity of the fourth performer to test positive for HIV, or exactly how or when he got the virus. Adult film production shut down Friday after the third case was reported, and Weinstein says a lot of performers are now speaking out anonymously and online.

"They're scared," Weinstein says. "It's beginning to become clearer and clearer that the producers don't care about them. They thought they were protected, and it's obvious that this system doesn't protect them."

The system Weinstein is referring to is run by the porn industry itself. Performers are tracked and regularly tested for sexually transmitted diseases "every 28 days at the very minimum, but most folks test every 14 days," says Diane Duke, head of the Free Speech Coalition, which advocates for the adult film industry.

Duke confirms the first new case happened in July, after which filming shut down for six days while performers were retested. She called for a new moratorium on Friday when the third person said they contracted HIV. Duke says this proves the system works.

"Really, it's much safer for you to be a performer performing in our industry than just out in the general public, meeting new people and having sex that way," she says.

Duke says doctors working with the adult film industry are meeting to talk about how long to keep the film moratorium going. And there's debate about whether to make the STD testing even more frequent. But some performers point out that testing doesn't prevent HIV from spreading.

Rod Daily, 32, is one of the porn performers who recently tested positive. He tweeted his announcement about contracting the virus and urged that even more precautions should be taken. It's a message similar to one he gave back in 2009 for a video posted by Next Door Studios.

"Make sure you're definitely wearing condoms, and make sure you're not doing anything unsafe," he says in the video. "You know, try to prolong that life."

A bill requiring condoms on pornography shoots throughout California is now pending in Sacramento.

Copyright 2014 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.

Transcript

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

In California, adult film production has been suspended after a number of performers tested positive for HIV. As NPR's Mandalit del Barco reports, four cases have been reported in the last few months. The latest came to light just yesterday.

MANDALIT DEL BARCO, BYLINE: If ever there was an I-told-you-so moment for the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, it's now. The organization has been campaigning for condoms to be mandatory during porn shoots. Last year, it sponsored a measure in L.A. County to that effect, which voters approved.

MICHAEL WEINSTEIN: People thought it was a weird, quirky thing. And now, I think they see that it's a real health issue.

BARCO: AHF president Michael Weinstein is frustrated and says L.A. County is not enforcing the law. Just yesterday, a fourth adult film performer reported to AHF that he had contracted HIV. Weinstein did not want to reveal any details about who he is or exactly how or when he got the virus. Adult film production shut down last Friday after the third case was reported, and Weinstein says a lot of performers are now speaking out anonymously and online.

WEINSTEIN: They're scared. It's beginning to become clearer and clearer that the producers don't care about them. They thought they were protected. And it's obvious that this system doesn't protect them.

BARCO: The system he refers to is run by the porn industry itself. Performers are tracked and regularly tested for sexually transmitted diseases.

DIANE DUKE: Every 28 days at the very minimum, but mostly most folks test every 14 days.

BARCO: Diane Duke is the CEO of the Free Speech Coalition, which advocates for the adult film industry. She confirms the first new case happened in July, after which filming shut down for six days while performers were retested. Duke called for a new moratorium last Friday when the third person said they contracted HIV. She says this proves the system works.

DUKE: So really, it's much safer for you to be a performer and performing in our industry than just out in the general public and, you know, meeting new people and having sex that way.

BARCO: Duke says doctors working with the adult film industry are meeting today to talk about how long to keep the film moratorium going. And there is debate about whether to make the STD testing even more frequent. But some performers point out that testing alone doesn't prevent HIV from spreading.

Thirty-two-year-old Rod Daily is one of the porn performers who recently tested positive. He tweeted his announcement about contracting the virus and urged that even more precautions should be taken. It's a message similar to the one he gave back in 2009 for a video posted by Next Door Studios.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED VIDEO)

ROD DAILY: Make sure you're definitely wearing condoms and not doing anything unsafe. You know, try to prolong that life.

BARCO: A bill requiring condoms on pornography shoots throughout California is now pending in Sacramento. Mandalit del Barco, NPR News.

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

You're listening to ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.